US-Iran tension
Iran can take fight beyond its borders, Khamenei says after US strike, unrest
The Revolutionary Guards can take their fight beyond Iran’s borders, says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader, responding to the US killing of a top general and to unrest at home over the accidental downing of an airliner.
Protests pile pressure on Iran after admission of plane strike
Iranian protesters and newspapers pile pressure on the country’s leadership and riot police step up their presence in Tehran after Iran’s military admitted that it had mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian airliner.
World demands full account after Iran admits downing Ukraine jet
Herewith are some of the remarks made by top leaders in response to the Iranian statement on its responsibility for the crash.
How Trump decided not to strike Iran back
Iran’s message was clear with its missile strikes on US bases in Iraq. This would be their only response, and that they would now wait and see what the US would do. US President Trump made the final decision that the US response would be sanctions, signalling to advisers that the threat of escalation was off the table.
Pope appeals to US and Iran to pursue dialogue, self-restraint
Pope Francis urges the United States and Iran to avoid escalation and pursue “dialogue and self-restraint” to avert a wider conflict in the Middle East.
ANALYSIS / Outgunned, Iran invests in means to indirectly confront superpower enemy
Iran has developed “asymmetrical” responses - ballistic missiles, deadly drones and a web of militia allies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, among other things - with the aim of being able to inflict pain while avoiding the traditional battlefield.
Oil tops $70 as Iran, Trump trade threats
Oil prices rise over 1% on Monday, pushing Brent above $70 a barrel, as rhetoric from the United States, Iran and Iraq fanned tensions in the Middle East after a US air strike which killed a top Iranian military commander.
Trump’s threats draw Iran’s cultural sites into tensions
Iran's ancient and rich cultural landscape becomes a potential US military target as Washington and Tehran lob threats and take high-stakes steps toward a possible open conflict.
Pope calls for dialogue and restraint amid growing US-Iran tensions
Pope Francis calls for dialogue and restraint two days after the killing of a top Iranian military commander by the United States.
US bid to seize Iranian tanker halts its release from Gibraltar
The United States applies to seize an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar, halting its expected release at the last minute and preventing a possible swap for British-flagged tanker held by Iran.
Gibraltar police release all crew members of detained Iranian tanker
Gibraltar police have said that all four crew members of the Iranian Grace 1 tanker have been released on bail without charge after it was detained last week on suspicion of breaking European sanctions by taking oil to Syria.
Trump threatens 'obliteration,' Iran calls White House 'mentally retarded'
US President Donald Trump threatens to obliterate parts of Iran if it attacked "anything American," in a new war of words with Iran which condemned fresh US sanctions on Tehran as "mentally retarded."
Trump pulls back from launch of military strikes on Iran after initial approval
US President Donald Trump approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned $130-million surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching the attacks, the New York Times reports.
'Flying objects' damaged Japanese tanker in Gulf of Oman
Two "flying objects" damaged a Japanese tanker in a suspected attack in the Gulf of Oman, but there was no damage to the cargo of methanol, the president of the shipping company has said.
US blames Iran for tanker attacks in Gulf of Oman, Iran rejects assertion
The United States has blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concerns about a new US-Iranian confrontation, but Tehran has bluntly denied the allegation.
Japan's Abe warns of armed conflict amid soaring US-Iran tension
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has warned of unintended clashes in the crisis-hit Middle East after meeting the Iranian president in Tehran, amid a brewing confrontation between Iran and the United States.
China's top diplomat calls for US restraint on trade, Iran
China's senior diplomat Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that recent US words and actions had harmed the interests of China and its enterprises, and that Washington should show restraint, China's foreign ministry has said.
Trump tells aides he does not want US war with Iran
US President Donald Trump tells his top advisers that he does not want to get the United States involved in a war with Iran.
Trump urges Iran to talk over nuclear programme, cannot rule out military action
US President Donald Trump urges Iran's leadership to sit down and talk with him about giving up Tehran’s nuclear programme and says he cannot rule out a military confrontation given the heightened tensions between the two countries.
